


Don't Let Go

by acklesbbykate



Series: Inspired By Songs [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Based on a song, Castiel Sings, Charlie Bradbury & Dean Winchester Friendship, Dean Sings, F/F, F/M, M/M, Meet-Cute, Older Castiel, Performance, Pining, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Singing, So Much Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Younger Dean Winchester, does this count as a
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 05:15:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13697625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acklesbbykate/pseuds/acklesbbykate
Summary: ~For six years he’d watched as a song was named and two people were brought together to sing with each other. For six years he’d watched two people fall in love right there on stage. For six long and lonely years he’d watched and listened to the songs that brought two separate souls together and melded them into one, a bond that would last beyond this lifetime and into the next. The title of their Soul Song, tattooed across one person’s left wrist and the other’s right, would suddenly have the initials of the other person beneath them.~This year, it's finally Dean's turn.Will you forgive me if I feel this way?'Cause we just met - tell me that's okay.





	Don't Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Don't Let Go by Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlin  
> From the movie 'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'  
> [ Lyric Video ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZMHIQ0AxNE)
> 
> I love this song SO much and also Bryan Adams' voice just does it for me.
> 
> When the singing starts, Dean only is in **bold** , Cas only is in _italics_ , and them singing together is then of course in **_both bold and italics_**.

Dean ran his thumb back and forth against the three words on his left wrist absentmindedly. The room was packed, more than he’d ever seen it. This was his sixth year coming to the Soul Song Festival; his sixth year of hoping that his song was called. He was hoping the immense number of people here this year would play in his favor. Maybe somewhere in this sea of faces was the one of his soulmate. He knew he always got sentimental about the festival. Sammy called him a ‘hopeless romantic’, but he couldn’t help it. Growing up watching his parents, John and Mary - soulmates who had found each other at a Soul Song Festival twenty-five years ago - together, he’d always dreamed of the day he’d find his soulmate. He’d always wanted what his parents had.

**_~Don’t Let Go~_ **

He bounced his knee nervously and stared at the flowing cursive of those three words. For six years he’d watched as a song was named and two people were brought together to sing with each other. For six years he’d watched two people fall in love right there on stage. For six long and lonely years he’d watched and listened to the songs that brought two separate souls together and melded them into one, a bond that would last beyond this lifetime and into the next. The title of their Soul Song, tattooed across one person’s left wrist and the other’s right, would suddenly have the initials of the other person beneath them.

**_~Don’t Let Go~_ **

On his eighteenth birthday he’d awakened to see the pristine new tattoo across his wrist and had stared at it for a few moments in elated awe before jumping up and running to his laptop to search for the song. He’d cringed when he’d seen how many songs over the years had that title. Everyone said you would just know when you found the song. That your tattoo would burn and your soul would ache, but your heart would just sing.

Everyone was right.

When he’d heard the beginning notes of the song, it felt like the world shifted off its axis. Without even looking at the lyrics, he knew them better than any Zeppelin track or Bon Jovi jam he’d listened to since he was a toddler watching his dad work on cars in the garage. He’d worried over the years that maybe the obscurity of the song would make it harder to find his soulmate, but his mother had always just smiled and said “Dean, that will make finding that person even more special for you than if you had a well known song.”

Easy for her to say. The words across her wrist were _‘Hey, Jude’_ , and now they had the initials _‘J.W.’_ beneath them that appeared when she and John had sung the song together all those years ago.

**_~Don’t Let Go~_ **

He sighed again, the ache in his heart he got everytime he thought of the bond his parents have and how he lacks it feeling like a physical thing. He rubbed his chest and looked around at people. He noticed that some were up mingling, even comparing wrists to see if they could locate their companion in the crowd, while others were sitting back like he was, just watching and waiting. There were men and women of all ages, looks, races; it could be literally any one of these people.

 _Or not one at all,_ his subconscious whispered.

“Dean! Sorry I’m late!” His best friend, Charlie, flopped down in the seat beside him, squeezing his wrist with an excited grin then getting out her phone and logging into her favorite mobile game. Dean has always used his ‘plus one’ for Charlie ever since she met her soulmate, Gilda, a few years ago. He rolled his eyes fondly and tugged on a lock of her bright red hair.

Sam and his plus one - their mother, Mary - were right behind her, and sat down on Dean’s other side. Mary reached over to hug Dean, winking and then sitting back and looking around at the crowd. Sam’s eyes and smile were both bright, belying the hope for something special to happen this year for them. Even though he liked to pick on Dean for being “such a girl” about this, he got it. He got the way it could consume you, missing someone you didn’t even know. They’d had many a late night up discussing the woes of waiting, although Sam, at twenty, had only had his mark for two years as compared to Dean’s six.

“You put your info in?” Dean glanced down at the _‘Looking Through Your Eyes’_ on Sam’s right wrist.

“Yep. I have a good feeling about this year.”

Dean raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Glad to see you getting into the spirit of things, Sammy.” Sam just flipped him off and leaned around him to talk to Charlie.

Dean saw the Soul Song Festival curator, Rowena MacLeod, making her way up to the center stage microphone in her ever present five inch high heel boots. She was killing it in the emerald green dress that, paired with her fiery red hair, made her look every bit the Scottish beauty she is. Dean glanced down one last time at his wrist before the a hush fell over the audience.

**_~Don’t Let Go~_ **

“Welcome, everyone, to this year's Soul Song Festival. Let’s get down to business, shall we? While our attendants get our list of matching names together, I’d like to take a moment to thank our sponsors and caterers for all they’ve done this year to make this Festival so spectacular.” Rowena took a few minutes to call out the names of the sponsors and went over the options that were catered in until a short, dark haired man in an impeccable suit brought her a tablet.

“And the results are in, and my, we have an incredible number of matches this year! Last year we went by last name of the right wrist tattooed individual, so this year we will go by the last name of the left wrist tattooed individual. I will call all the LWTI’s with last names starting with ‘A’, and you will all come to the room at the left of the stage. Then I will call the names of the RWTI’s that paired with them, and you will go to the room at the right of the stage. Then we will proceed to the ‘B’s, then ‘C’s, so on and so forth. Most of you know the drill by now, but for those of you who are joining us for the first time, if you need any assistance at any time, please locate on of the attendants at the back of the room to and they will be happy to help. And now, without further ado, everyone please sit back and enjoy this year’s Soul Song Festival. I wish you all the best of luck finding your soulmate.”

Rowena waved and walked off the stage to the small sound booth at the side of the room. Four attendants made their way up the center aisle, two going to the right door and the other two going to the left.

Dean glanced at Sam and shrugged, knowing since their last name was Winchester and he was a LWTI, he may as well sit back and get comfortable. Sam patted his shoulder, then looked over to Rowena. Dean could see the slight bit of anticipatory tension in his posture, waiting to see if he would get called as a match to someone.

The festival began, Rowena called up the matches. By the time she got to the ‘W’s, Dean was nearly suffocating in the emotional atmosphere. He was getting that pang in his chest like he always did, his soul reaching for someone it couldn’t find.

“Our last group today is the ‘W’s, since we had no ‘X’, ‘Y’, or ‘Z’ matches this year.” Charlie grabbed Dean’s hand and gripped it hard. He glanced at her and smiled nervously.

“If the following individuals would make their way up: Gordon Walker, Constance Welch, Michael Wheeler, and Dean Winchester.”

Charlie squealed, Sam grinned, Mary teared up, and Dean… Dean just froze.

“Dean, go!” Sam shoved at him from one side, Charlie pulling from the other, until he got up and numbly wandered down to the door where the other three were walking into the room. He just barely heard the names of the four matches.

“Kate Moon, Castiel Novak, Bela Talbot, and Joseph White, congratulations, your soulmate is in the other room. Please make your way to the room at the right of the stage.”

Dean could feel his heart nearly beating out of his chest. One of those four people is his soulmate.

**_~Don’t Let Go~_ **

Dean traced the letters along the inside of his left wrist, wondering if the his soulmate was doing the same to their right wrist in the other room.

“Gordon Walker?” A man that looked to be just a little older than Dean, with dark skin and a cocky smirk, stepped forward and spoke with the attendant that called his name, showing her his wrist. He took the wireless microphone from her and walked on stage. Dean joined the other two - one a young kid around Sam’s age, maybe even younger, with light brown hair and the build of an athlete, the other a beautiful tan-skinned beauty in a white ruffle crop top and high rise jeans. They watched as Gordon and a tall blonde woman sang with each other, their bond bringing them together with the words of the song.

When they finished, Rowena announced, “Let’s give a round of applause to Gordon Walker and Bela Talbot. Congratulations to both of you!”

Constance was next, showing her tattoo to the attendant then getting on stage and singing with an older man with salt’n’pepper hair and cowboy boots.

“Wonderful! That was Constance Welch and Joseph White. Congratulations, you two!”

Michael clapped Dean on the shoulder and wished him luck before taking the mic, showing off his tattoo, and running up on stage like an excited puppy to meet a sexy little blonde with a wicked smile. _Cute couple,_ Dean thought with a sigh, trying to ignore the nerves fluttering like butterfly wings in his stomach.

“And a congratulations to Michael Wheeler and Kate Moon!”

“That leaves you, Dean Winchester. Wrist, please,” the attendant said with a happy smile. Dean held out his wrist and the attendant tapped on her tablet.

**_~Don’t Let Go~_ **

_Castiel Novak._ He took the microphone and thought about the remaining name, still just a faceless being in his mind. _Castiel._ He didn’t even know if that was the name of a guy or girl, not that he had a preference being “hella bi” as Charlie put it. _Castiel._ He stepped on stage thinking about what person could be attached to that name. _Castiel._ He heard the first soft notes of the song at the same time that he saw him: just a tad bit shorter than Dean but looked to be at least a decade older, black jeans slung low on his hips and hugging thick thighs, biceps making the arms of his white, button down shirt bulge just enough to be mouthwatering, the sleeves rolled halfway up his tan forearms, stubble on his cheeks, full pink lips, messy dark hair, big bright blue eyes.

_Cas..._

It felt like the world finally, after six long years, shifted back onto its axis. As the music swelled, he grabbed the microphone and sang to his soulmate across the stage.

**“I can't believe this moment's come, it's so incredible that we're alone.  
There's so much to be said and done, it's impossible not to be overcome.”**

Cas’s soft voice joined his when he sang, **_“Will you forgive me if I feel this way?”_**

Cas lowered his mic as he took a few more slow steps closer. Dean watched Cas in awe, and sang with a voice gruff from emotion, **“‘Cause we just met - tell me that's okay.”**

Their voices harmonized. **_“So take this feeling and make it grow.”_**

Dean held out his left hand towards Cas and sang, **“Never let it - never let it go.”**

Cas took Dean’s left hand with his right, his palm warm against Dean’s. They sang their parts of the chorus as if they’d rehearsed, and one could say their souls had. It was just like everyone said: your soul just knows. Their voices layered over each other and built with each other until the last line.

_“Don’t let go of the things you believe in.”_  
**“You give me something that I can believe in.”**  
_“No, don’t let go of this moment in time.”_  
**“…Go of this moment in time.”**  
_“Don't let go of things that you're feeling.”_  
**“I can't explain the things that I'm feeling.”**  
_“No, don’t let go.”_  
**“No, I won’t let go.”**

As they sang the last line of the chorus, Cas twisted their hands until they were holding them up, palm to palm, his right wrist pressed to Dean’s left, their matching tattoos lined up perfectly. Dean let them rest that way for a moment, then linked their fingers and tugged Cas forward until there was barely a foot of space between them.

**“Now would you mind if I bared my soul?”**  
_“Bared my soul to you.”_

Dean let go of Cas’s hand so he could stroke his fingertips across his cheek, looking into those blue, blue eyes.

**“If I came right out and said you’re beautiful.**  
**‘Cause there's something here I can't explain, I feel I'm diving into driving rain!**  
**You get my senses running wild. I can't resist your sweet, sweet smile.”**

Cas covered Dean’s hand that rested against Cas’s cheek with his own and seemed to stare straight into his soul. 

**_“So take this feeling and make it grow.”_ **

Dean looked at their hands, the contrast in Cas’s tan skin against Dean’s paler, freckled complexion.

**“Never let it - never let it go.”**

_“Don’t let go of the things you believe in.”_  
**“You give me something that I can believe in.”**  
_“No, don’t let go of this moment in time.”_  
**“…Go of this moment in time.”**  
_“Don't let go of things that you're feeling.”_  
**“I can't explain the things that I'm feeling.”**  
_“No, don’t let go.”_  
**“No, I won’t let go.”**

Cas pulled Dean even closer, singing softly directly to him, while gently touching his face and looking at him in wonder.

_“I've been waiting all my life. You make this moment feel so right.  
The feel of you just fills the night, so c'mon, let’s just hold on tight.”_

They locked hands again, the music stopping as they sang.

_“Don’t let go of the things you believe in.”_  
**“You give me something that I can believe in.”**

The music swelled again, matching the way Dean’s soul leapt and curled around Cas’s, their bond growing and cementing.

_“No, don’t let go of this moment in time.”_  
**“…Go of this moment in time.”**  
_“Don't let go of things that you're feeling.”_  
**“I can't explain the things that I'm feeling.”**  
_“No, don’t let go.”_  
**“No, I won’t let go.”**  
_“Don’t let go.”_  
**“No, I won’t let go.”**

As the song drew to an end, they looked down at their wrists, seeing the _‘C.N.’_ and _‘D.W.’_ beneath their song.

_“No, don’t let go.  
No, I won’t let go.”_

The song ended, but they stood frozen just staring at each other and taking in the feeling of the bond with their soulmate. They barely registered being escorted off the stage and hearing Rowena give her last announcements and the final, “Now everyone enjoy the rest of the festival and the fabulous food provided by LaFitte Catering.”

When they were finally left alone, Dean taking a minute to just reflect on and appreciate how attractive Cas was, when the dark haired man spoke.

“Hello, Dean.” Jesus, even his voice was perfection. Dean just stared at him, voice caught behind the lump in his throat. “I have waited for you for a _very_ long time.”

Dean cleared his throat. “How, uh, how long?”

“This is my seventeenth Soul Song Festival.” Dean could see a faint blush Cas’s cheeks. “I hope my age doesn’t bother you.”

“Cas, the last six years have been hell. I can’t even imagine _seventeen_. And of course your age doesn’t bother me.”

Cas smirked. “The fates are cruel.”

Dean, realizing their tattooed hands were still clasped together, used his free hand to brush an unruly lock of Cas’s hair off his forehead and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Cas.”

Cas let go of his hand and cupped his cheeks gently, looking earnestly down at his face. “You are worth every second I waited. Can I kiss you?” Dean couldn’t even deny that those were tears welling up in his eyes. He nodded, gripping the front of Cas’s shirt tight. When Cas lowered his head, eyes closed, and pressed his lips to Dean’s, Dean’s heart threatened to beat right out of his chest. He kissed him back just as softly and sweetly and when Cas pulled back, Dean tried to follow him.

Cas chuckled and brushed his fingertips down his cheek. “My Dean.” He kissed him again. “So perfect.” And again. “I’m so happy.” Again. “Don’t cry, Dean.” A few more soft kisses. “My sweet, sweet Dean.” He pulled back enough to wipe Dean’s tears away with this thumbs, then he kissed his eyelids softly.

“What do you say we fight through this maze to the food and then find a place to sit and get to know each other better?”

“That sounds great, Cas.” Dean said with one last swipe to his cheeks.

“I like that nickname. ‘Cas’.” Cas grinned and held out his hand. “Don’t let go, Dean.”

Dean looked up into Cas’s eyes, feeling the bond between them pulse and shiver at those words. He took his hand, ready to follow his soulmate into the rest of their lives.

“I won’t let go.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm supposed to be working on my Taloa WIP or the Destiel!HorseRacer WIP that I haven't started posting yet. I'm also AT WORK so I should probably actually be working....
> 
> OH WELL! *author regrets nothing* :)
> 
> Totally thinking about doing Sam's Soul Song too, let me know if you'd like me too! I'm also feeling like at some point I may want to come back and do little follow ups to this one, turn it into a series (mostly without being song-related). Let me know your thoughts on that too!
> 
> Kudos and Comments make my life complete!!!


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